The Forgotten Heir
by Niah-Miyoki
Summary: The story of Silverpaw, an apprentice dealing with clan life, her feelings for her friend, a terrible loss and a past shrouded in mist... and now she's beginning to believe no one can be trusted....
1. Chapter 1  The Disappearance

**AN: **Yay! ☺ First fanfic. More chapters coming soon… if I get at least 2 reviews xP

**ForestClan: **

**Leader: **Dewstar – Silver pelt with white streaks. She is a very strong, yet gentle leader.

**Deputy:** Amberstorm – A kind-hearted cat with glistening yellow fur. Apprentice: Treepelt

**Medicine Cat: **Dapplecoat – On old, white she-cat with black spots on her back and a black tail.

**Warriors: (below)**

Treepelt – Amberstorm's deputy-in-training. Kind with a soft spot for kits. Apprentice: Scatterpaw

Yewstripe – Strongest warrior. He has a rude attitude and is very self-centered. Apprentice: Copperpaw

Ripplefur- Tortoise-shell she-cat with icy blue eyes; quiet; oldest warrior. Apprentice: Silverpaw.

Pebblepelt- Black tom with gray spots; headstrong but friendly. Apprentice: Winterpaw

Autumntip- White with red-orange spots and tail-tip; feisty and strong. No apprentice.

**Apprentices: **Winterpaw, Silverpaw, Copperpaw, Scatterpaw.

**Elders:**** (below)**

Nettlefur – grouchy tom with rough fur.

Moonheart – Kindly old she-cat with silver pelt and white paws.

Petalpelt- White she-cat with red, orange, and brown spots.

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The fog was so thick that if it weren't for the silent shadows flitting in and out, it would appear as though the fog had completely devoured the world inside it. The moon hung over the silent forest, silent except for the crickets chirping and the scuffling of paws over rocks. A shadow darted out into the open, a black cat with a white arrow on his back.

He was closely followed by a smaller, gray cat with jagged white stripes just barely visible in the pale moonlight. Their soft panting was masked by the chirping of insects and the swaying of the long grasses brushing against their fur. The black cat broke his sprint and turned sharply to his right.

"They're over here, Cragpelt!" he called to his companion. The gray cat stopped and caught his breath before trotting over. There in the grass lay a tiny ball of fur, mewing piteously.

"Bristletail, where's the other one?" Cragpelt asked the tabby, poking his slender gray head through a patch of crabgrass.

"Over there," Bristletail mewed, nodding hastily to his left, his voice tense. "It's dead."

"Are you sure?" Cragpelt asked in a somber mew. He started for the spot his friend had indicated, but Bristletail blocked his way.

"I'll check for you," he said, curling his tail. "Take this one back to the camp." He prodded the mewing golden kit with his paw, and Cragpelt reluctantly picked it up by the scruff of its neck. He wanted to stay behind, but the kit dangling from his mouth would surely die if he hesitated longer. Bristletail waited until Cragpelt was out of sight before he crept towards the second kit.

It was small and black, with a white arrow similar to his on its back. It let out a weak cry. Bristletail looked at it with uncertainty, but made up his mind. "Goodbye, _dearest_ daughter," he hissed, before bounding off into the deathly cold fog. The kit's cries barely rose over the breath of the wind, but no one was around to hear it….

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The pale sun was low in the sky, gray clouds partially obscuring it. The sun was large and full, but the cold frost that blanketed the world below it swallowed the warmth and replaced it with biting cold.

A black she-cat stood out completely from the white snow crunching under her paws. Silverpaw sighed as she bounded out of another snow bank. The wet snow sucked her down farther and farther with each pawstep, until she touched the frozen ground hidden under the frost until new-leaf. Silverpaw shook, both to warm her small body and shake snow off of her pelt.

"Winterpaw," she mewed crossly ahead of her, "wait up! You're going too fast!" A gray head poked out over a snow bank ahead, a tom with deep green eyes.

"You're just going too slow, Silverpaw," Winterpaw jeered good-naturedly. He bounded over to her, his paws barely sinking into the snow before he leaped forward again. "I don't know what's wrong with you, Silverpaw," Winterpaw said seriously, but with a hint of humor in his mew. "Leaf-bare is my favorite season! There's so much snow, the river's icy and fun to slide on…."

"It's freezing cold and there's not a lot of prey," Silverpaw added impatiently. "Let's just get back to camp."

"Alright, but the log to cross the river is that way," Winterpaw nodded to his right, indicating a far-off, snow covered log over a gaping canyon that curved around. "Unless, of course, you want to walk _around _Sparkling Gorge." Sparkling Gorge is what the cats of ForestClan called the canyon separating them from North Forest, the rocky hunting grounds for MountainClan cats. During new-leaf, the river rose and caught the sun's light, causing it to sparkle brighter than the stars up in the sky.

"Of course not, you mouse-brained idiot," Silverpaw said jokingly. "I want to jump it." Winterpaw just shook his head in amusement. They followed the edge of the canyon until they reach a large patch of leafless trees. They groaned under the weight of the snow that had piled on top of their bare branches. The sharp rocks that the MountainClan cats were so used to leaping on where hidden under a thick sheet of snow, so it was easier for Silverpaw and Winterpaw to walk through it.

Before Winterpaw had even reached the log, a familiar scent hit his nose. He opened his mouth to smell it better, but before he could identify it, Silverpaw had.

"MountainClan!" she hissed, but no sooner had she said it then a large gray cat leaped out of the dried-up shrubs that covered most of the forest floor and pinned her down. Silverpaw lashed out blindly, trying to kick the larger cat off of her. She twisted around to hide her soft underbelly, but the cat didn't attack. Instead, he let her go.

"What are you doing in our hunting grounds?" the cat asked in a firm voice. Silverpaw turned her icy blue eyes up to look into the soft yellow eyes of Cragpelt, the new MountainClan deputy.

"We're sorry, Cragpelt," Winterpaw said, lowering his head respectfully. "We wanted to see the Sparkling Gorge when it was frozen over."

"Couldn't you have seen it on your side?" Cragpelt asked triumphantly. Winterpaw had nothing to say, but Silverpaw did.

"Your side has a steeper slope," she stammered, squirming away from Cragpelt and standing next to Winterpaw. "So it's easier to see from a safe distance. Our land is too flat, and we'd surely fall into it."

Cragpelt thought their excuse over, and laughed. "I'll buy it this time," he said seriously, with a touch of kindness. "But next time, you _will_ get a closer look." Winterpaw and Silverpaw silently watched until Cragpelt was out of view.

"He wouldn't, would he?" Silverpaw asked.

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Silverpaw skittered over the frozen log, the snow-capped trees overhead releasing a small torrent of snow. A pile of damp snow landed on her head. She flattened her ears back and hissed, lashing out, and nearly falling off. Ahead of her, Winterpaw laughed.

"It's snow, Silverpaw," he mewed in amusement. Silverpaw shot him an irritated look and continued over to the other side of Sparkling Gorge. She turned back and looked over the edge. The bubbling river had frozen over, an icy sheen glinting like starlight. An image floated involuntarily into her mind, how Winterpaw's eyes sparkled just like that….

A yowl snapped Silverpaw from her thoughts. She spun around and saw Winterpaw emerging from the dark forest and running towards her. "Silverpaw!" he cried, desperation in his meow. "Amberstorm… she-she's gone missing!"

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The cats of ForestClan were gathered under the giant boulder that jutted out from the mountain's base, serving as a council area. The confused and worried mews rose through the air as Silverpaw came closer. She looked up to see Dewstar, the ForestClan leader, talking gently to the brown cat beside her. Silverpaw recognized the cat as Treepelt, Amberstorm's apprentice.

Amberstorm was ForestClan's valiant deputy, and had helped ForestClan get through more than any warrior could remember. Treepelt's face was expressionless, except for her eyes, which reflected the grief she felt inside. The elders of the Clan were in the back, talking solemnly to each other.

"Cats of ForestClan," Dewstar called in a chocked meow. The cats ceased their mews and looked up, eyes shining with sadness and hopelessness. Dewstar watched her paws for a moment before looking back at the Clan. "In light of recent events, we have sent Yewstripe, our finest warrior, and his apprentice Copperpaw out to find Amberstorm."

Dewstar stopped talking, as though the reality of it had numbed her. "And so…" she said finally, "In her absence, I appoint Treepelt as our interim deputy." Dewstar turned back into her den as Treepelt leaped down to the snowy forest floor. Many cats muttered their half-hearted congratulations and sincere sympathy to the heart-broken warrior.

"Don't worry, Treepelt," Silverpaw said, giving the temporary deputy and encouraging nudge, "Yewstripe will find her. He's a better warrior than he is a cat." Treepelt didn't even laugh. She merely nodded and walked off into the dark forest.


	2. Chapter 2 The Fatality

**AN:** Hey all! This is the second chapter for The Forgotten Heir. I know this may seem like a plot rip-off from **Into the Wild**, but it wasn't intentional Dx The first chapters have been boring (and this chapter is no exception…), but I promise there will be more things happening soon.

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"Silverpaw, do you really expect to catch a rabbit that way?" Silverpaw turned to Ripplefur, who stood there with an amused look on her face.

"Of course not," Silverpaw mewed evasively, straightening up. "I was… testing you."

"Sure," Ripplefur purred, getting to her paws. She bounded over to her cold apprentice in a few graceful leaps, barely leaving an imprint in the thinning snow. Under her silvery coat her muscles coiled, and Ripplefur pounced into the frozen underbrush. Silverpaw leaped in also, making sure to be within a few tail-spans from the old warrior.

Ripplefur veered left, causing snow to spray out as her paws rotated. Silverpaw turned just as quickly, always ready to change direction. After a few moons, Silverpaw had concluded that Ripplefur chose to shake opponents by rapidly and constantly changing directions.

Silverpaw's heart pounded in her ears with the same beat as her paws. She ran so quickly that the familiar bare trees around her became blurs, and the only thing in focus was the silver form of her teacher, whom Silverpaw was gaining on.

Just as Silverpaw was ready to pounce, Ripplefur stopped short. Silverpaw wasn't ready for this, so she slid straight into Ripplefur and fell over backwards. Silverpaw lashed out at the air with her pure white claws, flipping over and grasping the ground.

"Give up already, Ripplef-?" Silverpaw began, but stopped as she saw what Ripplefur was looking at. They had made it to the edge of Sparkling Gorge, the ice cracking but otherwise solid. Breaking the shine was a furry lump, a bold yellow color….

"Amberstorm!" Ripplefur cried, throwing herself over the edge and climbing down, nearly tripping over her own paws. Silverpaw followed, ignoring the sharp pains in her paws as the rocky slope clawed at her. She made it to the icy surface and looked over to see Ripplefur, prodding the motionless deputy with her nose. Ignoring the stinging feeling that came with each step, Silverpaw raced over.

"Ripplefur…" Silverpaw whispered, desperation creeping into her tone. "Is she… is…."

Ripplefur dropped her head and her tail fell over. "She's gone," was all that the old she-cat said, before turning away solemnly. "We'd best go tell Dewstar."

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Silverpaw walked into the camp, dragging her bloody paws and hanging her head. She didn't dare look at anyone, the weight of the news she had to break to Dewstar weighing her heart down and causing her to walk slowly. The wind was colder than usual, as it always was right before new-leaf. But Silverpaw was numb to the world around her.

Treepelt looked over from the rim of Council Rock, her eyes shining with anxiety. "Have… have you found her?" she asked, her mew nothing more than a whisper. Ripplefur didn't respond, but she didn't have to. Treepelt let out a yowl, one that tore at Silverpaw's heart until she couldn't bare it. She ran over to the Apprentice's den, ignoring Winterpaw's questioning look.

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Silverpaw stayed in the den through the ceremony that announced Treepelt as the new deputy. Dewstar understood, and told Ripplefur that Silverpaw would need a break from training to repair her broken heart. Amberstorm had raised Silverpaw when she was a kit, found left to die in the heart of North Forest many seasons ago. At that time, Amberstorm had been a queen with her kits, Copperkit and Scatterkit, who had recently become apprentices.

That one foggy day, Treepelt had found Silverpaw while on patrol, cold, wet and hungry. Amberstorm had taken her in like her own daughter. She remembered playing with Copperpaw and Scatterpaw, who were older than her. She remembered playing in the nursery with Winterpaw, who was her age. She remembered all the times they'd gone out to explore together, just the two of them. She wished they could be that close again, maybe closer….

Silverpaw started as Winterpaw came in. "Are you OK?" he asked, laying down next to her. "I know how much Amberstorm meant to you…." Silverpaw lay her head in her paws sadly.

"I don't feel like-" Silverpaw started, but she didn't want Winterpaw to leave her. "I'm fine," she mewed softly. "It's just, it was so sudden. And how did it happen?" Silverpaw shook her head, trying to clear her mind. But the image of Amberstorm lying lifeless on the frozen river kept flashing in her mind.

Winterpaw gave her a lick on the head and left the den. Silverpaw wanted to call out to him, to tell him not to leave her, but nothing came out. She closed her eyes and fell into an uneasy sleep.

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_There were two cats, barely visible in the thick of the mist. Silverpaw could see them briefly when they passed by, their profiles broken by the shadow of wild grasses. She tried to get up and see what was going on, but she found that she couldn't stand._

_She tried to yowl, to cry out__, but all that she heard was a weak kit mewing. "Goodbye, _dearest _daughter," she heard a cruel voice say._

Silverpaw woke up slowly, the den fading into view. What was that dream? Silverpaw thought to herself. She's never thought much of her past, but now…. Silverpaw shook her head and lifted herself up onto her paws. She padded over to the small pile of fresh-kill outside the den's entrance. She picked up a thrush and lay down next to Copperpaw, Amberstorm's son. He was gloomier than Silverpaw, but managed a weak smile when he saw her.

Winterpaw sat down next to them, licking his paw and cleaning behind his ears. "So, how are you guys?" Winterpaw asked. Before either could answer, Yewstripe came over. He was a large brown cat with yellow streaks down his back, and a particularly rude attitude.

"Copperpaw, you're late for training," he snarled. Copperpaw nodded and followed the warrior out into the forest.

"Are you training today too?" Winterpaw asked. "Copperpaw was Amberstorm's son, and if he's training today…."

"Yes, I am," Silverpaw said, pretending to watch the moss on the queen's den sway in the breeze. Suddenly her ears perked up. There was a scent in the wind… Silverpaw opened her mouth and breathed it in. The damp smell of new buds and sprouts reached her. Winterpaw smelled it too.

"New-leaf," he mewed, looking at Silverpaw. She nodded in reply.

"Silverpaw!" Ripplefur called from behind. Silverpaw turned to her mentor. "We're getting supplies for Dapplecoat. Get a move on!" Silverpaw nodded a farewell to Winterpaw and followed Ripplefur into the bushes. She saw a small leaf sprouting from a brown stem, a new hope after the fury of leaf-bare. Silverpaw smiled. Like that leaf, she knew she would overcome this tragedy and grow, like the leaf, to a brighter future.


	3. Chapter 3 The Shady Queen

**AN:** I have begun the plot! This chapter will be better, I promise, as will the following ones. This one is a bit longer.

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Silverpaw followed her mentor silently, staying within a rabbit-hop away. Ripplefur didn't speak as the slunk out of the camp, nor until they had reached the thick of the forest. She sat down and turned to Silverpaw, who was observing the forest around her. The brown trees had begun to sprout leaves, the moist ground bearing new grass. She saw a cluster of clawed yew trees clustered together to form a small cave to her left, and just beyond that was a mass of sprouting brush. A faint smell reached her nose, unfamiliar, yet she'd smelled it before….

"We will need Iris petals," Ripplefur said at last, turning away from her silent apprentice. "And windflower shoots. With new-leaf comes new kits. You know what they look like?"

Silverpaw nodded. "Yes, Ripplefur," she added to the tortoise shell's back. Silverpaw padded away, leaping past the clump of yews and crashing through the underbrush. The forest that surrounded the camp fanned out until it reached the mountain base, not too far down. From there, the territory was wild and untamed. A few twoleg nests made from trees were scattered along the edge, and new twolegs seemed to live there with each passing moon.

North Forest was a thin band of trees that grew straight out of the mountain's face, a floor of hard boulders layered out beneath. It was MountainClan's main hunting grounds, separated by Sparkling Gorge. MountainClan warriors were skilled at maneuvering on the rocky ground, with no cover. This made them rely on full-frontal attacks. ForestClan were used to observing and surprising, as their forest was thick with shrubs and shadows from tall, lush trees.

Silverpaw felt the dirt beneath her paws change from the grassy rocks of the campgrounds to the lose sand of the Mountain Base. Silverpaw spotted a crowd of purple flowers growing from under a large rock, partially hidden by underbrush. With a soft purr of triumph, Silverpaw gathered some in her mouth.

Silverpaw's ear twitched as the bush in front of her rustled. A scent similar to the one Silverpaw had sensed back with Ripplefur hit her nose. She instinctively crouched low, flattening her ears and unsheathing her claws. A flash of something white flicked just above the bushes, setting Silverpaw's muscles off like a spring. She leaped forward with a hiss, clearing the bushes and landing on the intruder's back.

Silverpaw her an unfamiliar yowl of pain. A pure white she-cat twisted her head around, trying to see who her attacker was. But before she could react, Silverpaw flipped over and caught the cat on the opposite side, hitting her shoulder with a forepaw. The cat flipped over, showing her swollen belly. By the time Silverpaw had pinned the cat, she realized that the cat was expecting kits.

As soon as Silverpaw released her grip on the queen, she flipped over and retreated, pressing her back on a tree trunk.

"Why are you in ForestClan territory?" Silverpaw hissed, the hair on her back rising threateningly. The queen sized Silverpaw up. Even though Silverpaw wasn't much smaller, the queen seemed annoyed to be bettered by such a young cat.

"I am Frostfire," the white cat said with renewed dignity. "I did not realize I was on another cat's territory, but I have no where else to go."

"Another cat's?" Silverpaw echoed. "You must be a kittypet, living with those twolegs! Why do you bear a warrior name than, kittypet?" She heard the faint beat of paws running, and the smell of Ripplefur became apparent. Frostfire sensed it too, her tail twitching with unease.

"What is going on?" Ripplefur said, leaping through the underbrush and rushing to Silverpaw's side.

"I am Frostfire," Frostfire repeated, "And I came seeking assistance. I am without a home, and was living here until you," she shot a disdainful look at Silverpaw, "came and attacked me!" She shifted her weight onto her other paw and showed her right shoulder, which Silverpaw had raked with her claws. The bloom of blood stood out against Frostfire's pale fur.

"That doesn't explain why you have a warrior's name," Silverpaw commented, sensing the cat's evasiveness. Frostfire did not even look at her.

"I am a rouge," she started leisurely, "But I was originally from MountainClan."

"Why are you here then?" Ripplefur questioned before Silverpaw could.

"I was taken by twolegs," she stated icily, as though the mention stung her tongue. "And my Clan rejected me when I escaped."

Her legit answer seemed to satisfy Ripplefur. "Follow me," she said roughly to Frostfire, "and we will let Dewstar decide your fate."

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The cats of ForestClan gathered at the foot of Council Rock, muttering anxiously. It hadn't been a quarter of a moon since Amberstorm's death, and the gathering wasn't for another quarter-moon. Frostfire sat, with her tail encircling her long legs, to Dewstar's right. Treepelt sat on her left, looking uncertainly at the queen opposite her leader.

"Cats of ForestClan," Dewstar began formally. "This queen has been found, captured by twolegs and abandoned by MountainClan, at Mountain Base. She shall stay until her kitting, and only then will I decide how long she shall stay afterwards."

A cry of protest came from Yewstripe's direction and an inaudible hiss rose from Autumntip, a pretty white she-cat with a red-tipped tail and spots. Moonheart and Petalpelt, two elders, muttered nervously, while Nettlefur just huffed and returned to the elder's den.

As Frostfire stalked past Silverpaw, who was seated in-between Copperpaw and Winterpaw, she sent the small apprentice a brief smirk. The strange yet familiar scent wafted by, and sent a chill through Silverpaw, causing her to shiver like a leaf in the wind. Though she was too stricken with grief before to notice, an unfamiliar scent had lingered in Amberstorm's fur. Now Silverpaw was sure, that same scent was on Frostfire. Had this shady queen killed Amberstorm?


	4. Chapter 4 The Gathering

**AN:** The long-awaited (but not really) fourth installment of Silverpaw's journey. I hope you enjoyed our last, faster-paced escapade! Longest chapter yet, but a little slow.

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"Really? Dewstar's letting me come to the Gathering?" Silverpaw looked at her life-long friend with wide eyes.

"Yes," Winterpaw mewed, "And me and Copperpaw."

"What about Scatterpaw?" Silverpaw inquired, looking over Winterpaw's gray shoulder and over at the tabby apprentice.

Winterpaw shrugged. "All Treepelt told me was that we were going. I'm guessing it's because of… Amberstorm," he finished quietly, curling his tail and looking at his paws.

"I'm fine, Winterpaw," Silverpaw said, giving her friend an appreciative lick between his ears. "But why are you coming? You didn't know Amberstorm very well."

"I'm guessing Dewstar knew you wouldn't go without me…?" he said, casting a hopeful look up at Silverpaw, who purred in amusement.

"C'mon, let's go tell Copperpaw," she said, bounding out of the apprentice's den.

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The den was veiled with a blanket of moss, which Silverpaw nudged away with her nose. Across from them was Dapplecoat's den and the entrance to the South Forest. The elder's den was to the right, a cave formed after a rock slide long ago. To the left of the apprentice's den was Council Rock and the face of the mountain, but closer was the nursery, where Frostfire was staying. Silverpaw looked away as she passed by, heading for Copperpaw who sat licking his paws under Council Rock.

"Good news, Copperpaw!" Silverpaw mewed brightly, licking her friend's shoulder. "You're coming to the Gathering, with me and Winterpaw!"

Copperpaw looked at them, his golden eyes wide with delight. "R-really?" he purred, looking from her to Winterpaw. Winterpaw nodded. "This is so cool!" he beamed, leaping to his paws. "I thought I'd have to wait until I was a warrior, and even after that, I'd-"

"Copper paw!" The rough meow caused Copperpaw to start. Yewstripe stalked over, a disapproving look on his face. "I'm taking you hunting later. I won't loose sleep if I go without you, so don't be late."

"Yes, Yewstripe," Copperpaw mewed respectfully. The three apprentices watched the brown and gold warrior march away.

"What a thorn in the paw," Winterpaw quipped, generating a purr from both Silverpaw and Copperpaw.

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Dewstar called the Clan together as the sun sunk behind the tree-line, which had become as black as night. A deep purple had crept up from the horizon, staining the sky like a crushed berry.

Without a sound, Dewstar leapt from Council Rock, beckoning with her tail for the small group to follow her. Silverpaw noted that Gingerpelt was not among them. The feathery-furred tabby queen was close to her kitting, so she was most likely staying behind. With a jolt Silverpaw saw Frostfire, walking close to Dewstar, a strange look in her eyes.

Silverpaw hurried up, Copperpaw and Winterpaw matching her stride-for-stride. The moon ascended slowly, drenching the forest in a still darkness. The blooming plants and trees alongside the path through North Forest were black and still with stars twinkling through their branches, looking like cats observing the Clan with sparkling eyes.

_Goodbye,_ dearest _daughter…_ The memory flashed through her mind. She snapped back to reality and stared up at a tree, whose branches formed an arrow similar to the one on her back.

"Hurry up, Silverpaw!" Copperpaw's excited mew came over the whispering wind. Silverpaw nodded and turned back to the journey ahead.

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The Crossing Rocks over Sparkling Gorge served as a meeting place, where the two Clans met every full moon. Bristlestar, the new MountainClan leader, sat menacingly on the north side of the rock, his deputy Cragpelt seated unmoving by his side. Dewstar sat on the south edge, with Treepelt on her right.

Silverpaw thought she saw flicker of amusement in Bristlestar's eyes as he sized up Treepelt. Was he thinking of insulting her, or did this have to do with Amberstorm? But just as suddenly, sadness seemed to glaze over his eyes. Then it was gone after the two Clan leaders bowed respectfully to each other.

"ForestClan is sad to announce the death of it's deputy, Amberstorm," Dewstar announced to the other clan, her gaze flitting back to the smug MountainClan leader in front of her. "We introduce our new deputy, Treepelt." A few MountainClan cats mumbled their greetings.

"I, Bristlestar, introduce myself as the new MountainClan leader, after the tragic death of Lightningstar." Silverpaw's fur prickled at the emptiness of his words. He was obviously not very sorry, now that he was Clan leader. Lightningstar had died in a recent battle not long after the last Gathering at the claws of Amberstorm, after he had led a small squad into the ForestClan's hunting grounds.

The rest of the Gathering proceeded slowly, cats greeting each other like old nest-mates, even after recently clashing claws. Copperpaw took no time in getting a group of young MountainClan warriors to recount the battle to the three apprentices.

Winterpaw sat with Silverpaw, cleaning behind his ears and barely listening. Silverpaw could feel the usual heat creeping through her body as he shifted, their pelts pressed together slightly.

It wasn't long after the warriors finished that Dewstar called her Clan back to camp. Silverpaw got up, reluctant to leave Winterpaw's side. She was surprised that Dewstar hadn't announced Frostfire's arrival, and surprised still that no MountainClan cat recognized her. No wonder, she thought bitterly, watching the suspicious queen talking with Pebblepelt, who knew how much of her story was lies.

"Where's Copperpaw?" Winterpaw asked. Silverpaw turned her head quickly back to Winterpaw, crashing her face into his.

"I-I'm sorry!" Silverpaw mewed, her face getting hot. "I… I'll go find him." She rushed off quickly, skirting Yewstripe before he could question her. Copperpaw was sitting in the pathway, scratching behind his ear. Silverpaw urged him on and saw him off until he reached Winterpaw.

Silverpaw was so embarrassed, she wasn't sure if she should catch up.

"Hurry back to your Clan," a hard growl came from behind. Silverpaw turned and looked into the cold yellow eyes of the MountainClan leader. He leaped up and stalked away, flicking his frizzy tail. Silverpaw turned back to her retreating Clan, then swiveled back in shock. But Bristlestar had disappeared into the shadows. Silverpaw's head reeled. For a second, she thought she saw a white arrow on Bristlestar's back… just like hers!

She pushed it hastily out of her mind, padding slowly after her clan. But there was no peace for Silverpaw when she returned to camp. She heard the yowls and cries of unfamiliar cats mixed with her clans. Her camp was under attack by rouges!

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5 The First Battle

**AN:** Sorry it took so long! Here's a quick review of the last chapter to keep you up-to-date…

Silverpaw, Winterpaw and Copperpaw where invited to the Gathering, where Dewstar did not tell MountainClan of their former clan member, Frostfire, who was now staying in ForestClan camp. Meanwhile, Bristlestar had gained control of the MountainClan cats, and Silverpaw thought she saw a marking on Bristlestar's back similar to the one on hers. But she had no time to muse, because upon return her Clan was attacked by rouges!

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Silverpaw crashed through the bushes surrounding the camp, only to be met with a battle scene. Out of the corner of her eye, Silverpaw saw Pebblepelt being tackled by an unfamiliar black cat. Autumntip was slashing at another she cat, who already had her fair share of scars.

It was only when she saw Winterpaw charging a much larger cat did Silverpaw regain use of her legs. She ran faster than her feet would carry her, but adrenaline kept her upright. She coiled up and launched off the ridge, dropping down on top of a thin tabby. Silverpaw dug her claws into his pelt, and he let out a cry of rage and pain. He rolled over, but Silverpaw felt it coming. She leaped off and, before the tom could flip over, pinned him down.

Ripplefur gave her a quick mew of encouragement before returning to the battle, leaving a rouge battered and bleeding on the ground behind her. Silverpaw estimated at least six rouges, but Yewstripe had knocked three cats down with a quick kick, all running into one another.

The rouges were loosing, and badly. But Silverpaw had forgotten to stay alert, even when they would surely win. The tabby she had pinned clawed out and hit her muzzle with unsheathed claws. Blood dripped down onto the struggling cat, but Silverpaw kept him down. She clapped her jaws onto his shoulder and didn't let go until he screamed in agony.

He ran off the second she let go, his tail flopping in-between his back legs. Silverpaw looked over to see Frostfire emerging from the battle, blood seeping from claw marks and an excited look in her eyes. She leaped at a fallen rouge without hesitation, ramming his side so hard he was thrown onto the apposing rocks.

Within minutes, the last rouges had scampered off and the ForestClan cats stood victorious. But what had happened? Why had these rouges attacked, and where did they come from?

Dapplecoat wasted no time in seeing to the injured. Treepelt had deep gashes in her shoulder, but refused Dappletail's treatment. But in the end, weak from the fight, Treepelt gave in and allowed Dappletail to see to her wounds.

Winterpaw padded over, panting but okay. He had some cuts on his legs and a nick on his ear, but otherwise he was fine, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"That cut on your muzzle looks a bit bad," Winterpaw mewed breathlessly. "Might want to see Dapplecoat before you become more deformed looking." Silverpaw purred with amusement and gave her friend a quick nuzzle.

"I'll see her later," she panted, sitting down and licking her aching paws. "Treepelt's cut is pretty bad." Winterpaw nodded as Copperpaw came over, his legs trembling.

"Some day," he commented.

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Dewstar called the cats together after the excitement had died down. She ignored there mewed questions, until Treepelt yowled for silence. Dewstar gave her young deputy an amused look before turned once again to the Clan.

"We know as much about these rouges than you do," Dewstar began, "but we are sure that those cats will not bother us for some time. On a brighter note, Ripplefur and Pebblepelt have recommended their apprentices to become warriors."

Silverpaw looked up, not daring to breathe lest it would wake her up, to find it a dream. She felt Winterpaw tense up beside her.

"Silverpaw, Winterpaw, please step forward." The words had barely come from Dewstar's mouth before Silverpaw had rushed up to Council Rock, thanking StarClan that she didn't trip over her own paws. The wind brought the sweet scent of wet leaves to her nose, but she couldn't be bothered by rain.

"I, Dewstar," the silver she-cat meowed regally, sending a fresh round of adrenaline into Silverpaw's blood, "leader of ForestClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in turn."

Dewstar leaped off of Council Rock, padding over to Winterpaw and reciting the oath. She heard Winterpaw mew "I do," seriously, but with a touch of pride. "Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. From this day forth, you will be know as Winterheart." Winterheart sat straighter, his eyes glittering. "StarClan honors your courage and strength, and we welcome you as a warrior of ForestClan."

Silverpaw looked at her friend with pride, but still feeling her own excitement claw at her chest. She sat straight as Dewstar walked over to her, but her uneven breathing betrayed her. "Silverpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and protect and defend this clan, at cost of your own life?"

"I-I do," Silverpaw mewed, her tail flitting in excitement.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. From this day forth, you will be know as Silverclaw." _Silverclaw_. The name resounded in Silverclaw's head with delight. "StarClan honors your loyalty and integrity," Dewstar continued, "and we welcome you as a warrior of ForestClan."

"Winterheart! Silverclaw!" Silverclaw scarcely heard the clan's mews, her head light with ecstasy. The sun was a bright, blazon circle in the orange-stained sky as Silverclaw and Winterheart walked off to begin their vigil.


	6. Chapter 6 The Potential Conjugality

**AN:** Once again this took too long, but long –chapter- short, SilverCLAW and WinterHEART are now warriors. Yayz. Anyhoo, I've got a good ending that will SHOCK you (not in this chapter). Also, if you want your cat to be a female rouge (a NICE one ) in this story, post their name, look and personality, and I might use them in a relationship with one of the cats from my clan.

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Silverclaw could scarcely breathe with excitement that night, so she did not need to worry about silence. She sat, her tail erect, her cyan eyes cutting through the darkness like icy beams. She sensed Winterheart circling the camp boundaries, so she decided to join him.

Without a sound, Silverclaw fell into pace with her friend. She cursed the vigil's demand for silence now. It was a beautiful night that made her heart flutter in her chest like a moth. She wanted to stop circling on her aching paws and tell Winterheart how she felt. But she honored StarClan more than her feelings, and refrained her heart-laden tongue. She resolved herself to listening to her breath intertwining with his rhythmically in the silent night sky.

The sun streamed over the horizon like water spilling over a bank. The black trees around her were rimmed with a fiery blaze, the sun lifting up, a pale ball of flame. Silverclaw finally sat down, licking her paws and rubbing behind her ear casually. But her grooming faltered when she felt Winterheart press up against her.

"It's a beautiful sunrise, isn't it?" he breathed, his leaf-green eyes reflecting the sun for a moment. Silverclaw nodded.

"Yes," she mumbled, trying not to let her gaze linger on him for too long.

"Remember how the moon looked last night?" Winterheart queried, licking his paw heedlessly. "I wanted to tell you, but it was our vigil. It had an icy blue tinge that reminded me of your eyes." Silverclaw looked up at him quickly, meeting his deep green ones. "They really do sparkle like the crystals in leaf-bare. That's why I'm surprised you don't like it so much." He leaned over and licked her in-between her ears and walked off, somewhat ineptly, flicking his tail for her to follow him back to camp.

Silverclaw felt like yowling with joy and sobbing at the same time. How much her friend had grown… how much he seemed to like her.

"Wow," came a small, familiar voice from the bushes. Silverclaw spun towards it, wide-eyed with embarrassment. There, crouched culpably in the underbrush, was Copperpaw, his brazen eyes laughing.

"He really likes you," Copperpaw observed, ignoring Silverclaw's injured look. A somewhat distant look came across Copperpaw's face before he turned and ran off towards camp. He had seen them… and now he was probably off to tell the whole camp. Silverclaw let out a small mew of mortification.

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To Silverclaw's surprise, everyone greeted her with friendly, non-taunting mews. Was it possible Copperpaw hadn't told anyone?

"Of course not," Silverclaw meowed under her breath as she walked over to Winterheart, who sat by the warrior's den. "He's like your brother, he'd never betray your privacy." A sudden thought caused Silverclaw to turn her anxious eyes to the entrance to the den, where Yewstripe lay staring out at her. He was Copperpaw's mentor, and she wouldn't put it past the senior warrior to tell the whole clan. Was Copperpaw becoming like him…?

Silverclaw shook the thoughts from her mind, laying down by Winterheart, biting absently into a mouse she'd picked up from the fresh-kill pile. She wanted to go hunting later, maybe…?

"Silverclaw," she heard Winterheart say. She turned to look at him. His eyes had a faint trace of the shine she'd seen at sunrise. "Copperpaw said he couldn't go hunting today, so would you like to go with me?" Silverclaw nodded enthusiastically, but felt like clawing herself when she realized how eager she looked. Thankfully, Winterheart did not seem to notice.

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She and Winterheart slipped out of the camp by sun-high, the tangible rays of light so searing it wouldn't surprise Silverclaw if her fur was singed. But it was fine, so she ran by Winterheart's side happily.

She caught a mouse not long after they had left and Winterheart had managed to catch a robin, but other than that the forest was oddly silent. They had made it all the way to Sparkling Gorge and still had found not creatures scuttling along the forest floor. Something was very wrong.

Then there was a deafening crack, and Silverclaw felt the rocks under her shudder. She turned her frightened eyes to Winterheart, who pressed up against her protectively. She did not feel the heat run through her body like last time, not over the blinding terror. The rocks shook and slid, so hard that she and Winterheart were knocked onto their backs.

She felt herself falling, down to the shimmering river that she had admired so much throughout her life. Now it appeared that it would be her demise. She felt a hard slap on her back as she hit the surface, but her cry of pain resulted in a mouthful of water. She lashed out at the frothing current, churning and sending ice not yet melted towards her. She grabbed hold of a chunk as it floated by and caught sight of Winterheart following suit.

But she had no time to call to him, because all that came from her was her own yowls of terror mingling with Winterheart's. I'm going to die, was Silverclaw's last thought before her paws slipped off and her head fell under the water.


	7. Chapter 7 The Lost Warriors

**AN:** OK, I've decided to keep going without the rouge, but I'll need one for next chapter. If you want your female cat to be the rouge next chapter, leave her name, look and personality in a review. Last chapter Silverclaw and Winterheart spent a quiet moment together during their vigil, and it looks like their future together is coming into focus. Silverclaw is worried about her nest-mate Copperpaw, who may be taking after his unkind mentor. But while hunting, Silverclaw and Winterheart fall into Sparkling Gorge! Will they be saved, and by whom?

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Silverclaw shivered despite the warm sunlight on her fur. She felt waves crashing gently against her body, and she knew she had to get up. Silverclaw weakly rose, sharp pain shooting up her right paw. She looked around, her eyes still blurred and unfocused. She could barely remember the fall, where she and Winterheart had fallen into Sparkling Gorge….

But where was Winterheart? This thought caused Silverclaw to shoot up, ignoring the sting in her leg. Her head cleared, and she could finally get a hold of her surroundings. She was still in Sparkling Gorge, but not any part she'd seen before. But she wasn't interested in where SHE was, but in where Winterheart was.

She felt someone press up against her back, and a familiar smell reached her nose.

"About time you woke up," Winterheart said, his voice a bit hoarse. She turned around and saw her gray friend looking at her with comforted green eyes. He nuzzled her head, purring with relief. Silverclaw pressed her head back against his, exhausted from her struggle.

"Do you know where we are?" she asked softly, supporting herself on Winterheart's side. Her paw was throbbing uncomfortably. Winterheart pulled back and shook his head gravely.

"We got washed very far downstream," he mewed. "I wanted to take a look around, but I didn't want to leave you alone. Silverclaw blinked at him gratefully, the familiar heat prickling in her chest.

"We need to get back to camp," Silverclaw said, looking up at the rocky walls. They were on a small riverbank, which sloped dangerously up to the forest… or wherever they were.

"How will we get up?" Winterheart asked. Silverclaw looked around, spotting a branch hanging down.

"If we could jump high enough," she commented, indicating the branch, "we could climb up that."

"It's awfully high," Winterheart remarked ruefully. But Silverclaw had already limped towards it. "Can you make it?" Winterheart asked when he had caught up, looking down at her paw. Silverclaw nodded uncertainly.

"I'll try first," she said, bracing herself for the pain. She coiled up, tensing her back legs up for the leap. She refrained from crying out as she released, launching herself with her injured paw. But she pulled through, even clinging to the branch with it.

It took less time for Winterheart to climb up. Silverclaw lay down all the same, grateful for any rest. She guessed that the river had taken them south, because the ground underneath was the same sand as the Mountain Base. The trees were closer together, and the sunlight streaming down with tinge with the leaves' green. The underbrush was dense except for the clearing she was in. A purple flower spurred a memory in her. If she could just find the place where she'd found Frostfire, she could make it back to camp.

"Do you want to rest?" Winterheart asked as he clambered up and sat beside her. Part of her wanted to say no, we need to get home, but her prickling paw overpowered her.

"Only for a while," she said stubbornly. Winterheart nodded silently and lay down beside her, his flank pressed against his. This time she did not feel the tingling heat in her chest, only a pleasant warm wave. Silverclaw intertwined her tail with Winterheart's, her eyes growing heavy with sleep. She felt his head resting against hers, felt his soft purring vibrating throughout his body and into hers. She wished she could stay like this, laying side-by-side with him in the dream-like forest, but she was soon asleep.

The old dream returned. The familiar mist was swirling, so cold that for a second she thought she would wake up and find it was leaf-bare. But the sun above her was warm, and she could feel sweat trickling down her face. She recounted the dream, different from last time. She was sure she'd seen Bristlestar, his black, scraggly fur and his uneven tail. But had she just imagined the arrow on his back? No, she mournfully assured herself.

Was he really her father? Then who was her mother? Silverclaw looked over at Winterheart, lain peacefully beside her, his head still propped up against hers. Still weary from her rest, Silverclaw looked out again at the dense foliage around them.

At the edge of the clearing, Silverclaw saw a streak of rusty-colored fur. Silverclaw started, waking Winterheart up.

"Wha-what is it?" he asked, his eyes wide. Silverclaw jerked her head towards the flash, and the two ForestClan cats padded over towards it. They crouched low, becoming as silent as possible. Silverclaw peered over a newly-grown bush, making out two figures in the dark shadows thrown over the forest. There was no mistaking Copperpaw's shining orange pelt or his smell.

But the cat he was with… it was too dark to see the other cat. It was a female, but her scent… Silverclaw looked around. This was where she had found Frostfire, and the strange she-cat had the same smell as the rouges. Copperpaw… was in love with a rouge that had attacked ForestClan?


	8. Chapter 8 The Mysterious Rouge

**AN: **I've decided to use my own character for the rouge, partially because using another character may be hard, but mostly because I seem to have lost most of my readers. As much as I hate it, I won't bother to update until I get two reviews from two different people. Longest chapter so far, I think.

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Silverclaw began to creep out of her hiding spot under the bush, but Winterheart pressed against her to prevent her. He wouldn't give me any privacy, Silverclaw felt like saying, but held her tongue. Winterheart jerked his head to the side, indicating that they sneak around the clearing and hear what they were saying.

Silverclaw followed Winterheart closely, keeping to the shadows as best she could. She watched her paws mostly, avoiding twigs and fallen leaves left from leaf-bare. The rouge did not seem too worried about being overheard, because she didn't bother to whisper.

"What did I tell you, you mouse-brained fool?" she hissed, but with a gentleness in her tone that sounded more like worry. "You can't come here. The other rouges will attack you, and then me!"

"B-but, I wanted to thank you!" he meowed piteously, a way Silverclaw would have when talking to Winterheart some moons before. "You saved my clan from the rockslide and ran off!"

"I also helped attack your clan," she mewed pointedly. Silverclaw stopped moving and crouched lower, peering in-between the leaves of a scraggly shrub. Winterheart followed suit. Copperpaw was standing awkwardly a few rabbit-hops away from a pretty tabby she-cat. She recognized her by the pale scars running down her flank as the rouge Autumntip was fighting.

Copperpaw didn't seem to have a response. The she-cat stared back at the fumbling ForestClan apprentice intently with sharp golden eyes. Copperpaw returned the stare unwaveringly, but his twitching tail betrayed him.

"Can I at least know your name?" Copperpaw finally asked in an injured tone.

"Featherpaw," the she-cat replied, narrowing her eyes. Silverclaw started, and Winterheart turned his head to her, his eyes wide in shock.

Copperpaw voiced their confusion. "Featherpaw?" he asked, bemused. "But, you're a MountainClan apprentice! I saw you at the Gathering!"

"I'm a rouge now," she said, her biting tone back. "Bristlestar has become ill, but Flickertail says it isn't anything curable."

"Will he die?" Copperpaw managed to squeak as the pang went through Silverclaw's heart. Love or hate, Bristlestar **was** her father.

"No," Featherpaw retorted, licking a small wound on her paw. "He's been acting odd. He kept muttering in his sleep, asking someone to forgive him." Silverclaw flicked her ear, her heart thumping. She could tell the she-cat was hiding something. "Now leave, before I call the rest of the rouges and set them on you." Copperpaw opened his mouth, but closed it and darted off.

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It didn't take long for Silverclaw and Winterheart to find the orange apprentice, laying hopelessly under a large oak. He jolted to a fighting position, but let the hair on his back flatten once he'd recognized them.

"Silverclaw? Winterheart?" he asked, a mixture of bewilderment and relief in his eyes. "You're OK? When you went to hunt, and the rockslide…"

"What happened to the camp?" Silverclaw asked, restraining an accusing tone.

Copperpaw looked at them with uncertainty. "Whe-when you two left," he began in a shaky voice, "there was an earth-quake. I couldn't go with Winterheart earlier because I'd sensed a rouge…" he stopped abruptly and continued. "And… Yewstripe went off to find the rouge when it happened. Dewstar got everyone out of their dens and tried to get them al out, but the exit was cut off. Then the rouge I'd scented appeared and helped us all climb over." He stopped breathlessly.

"Was anyone injured?" Winterheart asked, pressing against Silverclaw reassuringly, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Copperpaw.

"No, thanks to Fea- the rouge." He sat down and watched them anxiously, noting his obvious blunder.

"We saw you and Featherpaw," Silverclaw indicted, ignoring Winterheart's hissed protests. Copperpaw nodded uneasily.

"There was nothing wrong with our confrontation," Copperpaw said with an offended air.

"We know," Winterheart mewed indignantly. "but we just need to find the clan. Where did they go?" Copperpaw gave a sudden wail and fell to the ground, alarming the two warriors.

"They went to MountainClan to seek refuge!" he whimpered. "But… Bristlestar isn't well, and no doubt there will be war!"

"Then we need to go, now!" Winterheart said prominently. He turned to Silverclaw and nuzzled her on the side of the head. "Silverclaw, I think you'd better stay here."

"Oh, no!" she said irately, but returned the gesture. "I'm coming with. We're both warriors now, and if anything, I'm a better one!"

"But, your paw-" he protested, but Silverclaw ignored him.

"I'm coming," she mewed persistently. Winterheart sighed in defeat, turning to leave. "Are you coming, Copperpaw?" Silverclaw asked. Copperpaw nodded eloquently, following Silverclaw and Winterheart as they crashed through the underbrush. Silverclaw passed by the circle of knarled trees she'd seen back before she found Frostfire. She shook the thought from her head.

Winterheart wasn't rushing, probably holding back so Silverclaw could keep up.

"My paw's fine," she snapped, but let a bit of gratefulness into her tone. "The Clan's more important, so pick it up!"

Winterheart shot her an amused look before quickening his pace. Silverclaw struggled against the dull pain, but was able to keep up.

The camp was completely blocked off by rocks, and more had fallen onto the wall. It was impossible to climb. Without hesitation, Silverclaw skirted the rocks and began making her way around the camp. They made it back to Sparkling Gorge, then painful memories of her fall edging into her mind. But again, the urgency of their mission pushed the worries form her mind. The three ForestClan cats ran across the Crossing Rock and into North Forest, where hisses and yowls were blown towards them by the humid wind.

Silverclaw leaped over the small boulders ineptly, stumbling twice on her hurt paw. But the cries of the Clan kept her going. She, Winterheart and Copperpaw nodded to one another then pounced from the dead undergrowth – and into a war zone.


	9. Chapter 9 The Second Battle

**AN:** I've decided to update once again, only because Squirreltail's been so nice :) Yes, you must feel special xD Anyhoo, not much to say. Story coming to a close, so I'll make a new – non-cliché – story later. I might also make a Charlie Bone fanfic.

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Silverclaw did not waste time in taking in her surroundings, but what she saw in passing was enough. The whole of ForestClan was there, Dewstar and Treepelt, the warriors, even Gingerpelt and Frostfire were battling some weak looking apprentices. Gingerpelt was close to kitting, so Silverclaw immediately ran to help her.

The little black tom who had been fighting Gingerpelt looked at Silverclaw hesitantly. The brief pause was enough for Silverclaw. She leaped at him and pinned him down, biting his shoulder. She had barely closed her jaw on his shoulder before the tom yowled for mercy. Silverclaw released him, but the tom instantly sprang at her.

Dear StarClan! Silverclaw thought, batting the injured MountainClan apprentice away. That was a plain dishonest trick. She rammed the stumbling tom for good measure, sending him whimpering into the scraggly underbrush around them. Cragpelt was fighting Yewstripe not far away.

Winterheart was clawing at a fierce-looking golden tom. The warrior launched at Winterheart, claws outstretched towards his throat. Silverclaw ran at the tom, but Winterheart had already dodged him and clapped his jaws on the golden tom's tail. He yowled in pain and turned around, catching Winterheart on the muzzle.

Silverclaw felt a searing pain in her back as she was knocked to the ground. A tortoise-shell she-cat Silverclaw remembered meeting at the Gathering had pinned her down. Willowstorm, Silverclaw recalled as she struggled to flip over. Silverclaw kicked the she-cat scarcely with her back legs, enough to throw her off.

Willowstorm hissed and pounced at the rolling Silverclaw, but she got up quickly and raked Willowstorm's exposed stomach as the MountainClan warrior pinned her down. With one powerful kick, Silverclaw sent Willowstorm rolling off and into a fallen orange she-cat.

The MountainClan cats, beaten into submission, pulled together into a tight circle.

"We'll ask you for the last time," hissed the golden tom who had attacked Winterheart, "please leave our territory! You have no reason to come here."

"We have **every** reason to come here, Blazonwing," Dewstar panted, blood trickling down the side of her leg. "Our camp has been destroyed, and you refused to let us stay. StarClan would have excepted better from you."

Blazonwing coiled back, ready to launch another attack, but a familiar caterwaul halted him. Silverclaw looked around. Behind them was Bristlestar's den, a small cave etched into a large boulder. The black Clan leader padded out, followed closely by Flickertail. The medicine cat's tail was twitching more than usual. Bristletail's eyes took on a distant look as he searched the faces of the wounded ForestClan cats. Silverclaw thought his gaze lingered on her for a moment, but it could have been her imagination.

"Who dare order an attack on these homeless cats?" Bristlestar rasped, his voice weary and vaguely unnerved. But before any of the sheepish cats answered, Bristlestar continued, now speaking to Dewstar. "You may stay for the night, but by morning you must go, and rebuild your camp." Then he turned back into his den, trailed by Flickertail. Blazonwing looked disdainfully at ForestClan, then dispersed with the rest of his clan.

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The nearly-full moon was high in the sky when Silverclaw was awakened. She blinked her eyes open grudgingly when she felt someone nudging her head.

"Silverclaw," came Winterheart's hushed mew. She rose up instantly, looking over towards his voice. The bare tree ForestClan was sleeping under threw a shadow over Winterheart, but her ears detected him walking away slowly.

"Follow me," Silverclaw heard. She turned her head to see Cragpelt, his gray pelt illuminated by the pale moonlight. She padded over obediently, staying close to Winterheart. The stars sparkled against the pitch-black sky, the moon casting a bright shadow over the rocky terrain. Silverclaw, Winterheart and Cragpelt weaved through the few gangly trees dotting the MountainClan territory. There were rocks piled up around the border, leaving a large clearing in the center, where the three cats walked, like shadows casting shadows of their own.

There were dens carved into the mounds by nature long ago, farther back than their warrior ancestors. The largest one was Bristlestar's, to which Cragpelt led them to. Cragpelt leaped up the crude stairs nimbly, but Silverclaw and Winterheart stumbled many times. Cragpelt stood at the top impatiently, leading them into the den when they reached him.

The den was absolute darkness accept for the shaft of moonlight streaming in from a crevice above them, reflecting off the tired blue eyes of Bristlestar. The same eyes as Silverclaw.

"Thank you, Cragpelt," Bristlestar said jadedly, nodding to his deputy. Cragpelt dipped his head quickly with respect before backing out, leaving Winterheart and Silverclaw alone with the MountainClan leader. "If you don't mind, I'd like to speak with Silverclaw alone," he said, turning to Winterheart.

"I trust Winterheart with whatever information you have for me," Silverclaw said with finality. "I would prefer him to stay here."

Bristlestar purred softly in amusement, but did not argue. "Well, I suppose you already know why I have summoned you…"

"Because I'm your daughter?" Silverclaw asked nonchalantly, ignoring Winterheart's questioning eyes that she felt on her.

"So bold," Bristlestar said admiringly. "You are very much like your mother."

"Who was my mother?" Silverclaw mewed, her voice trembling slightly. "Was she from MountainClan too?"

Bristlestar waited a while before answering.

"No. Your mother was Amberstorm."

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**AN:** Ooh, big shocker! xD Next chapter coming right up! We finally go deep into Silverclaw's past. Yay.


	10. Chapter 10 The End

**AN:** Woot, last chapter! OK… yup, that's it. Thanks a lot to Squirreltail for all her kind reviews, and to everyone else who commented! I'll start another story soon, one NOT about a cat with a mysterious past and a journey to find his/her parents.

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Silverclaw nearly fainted. "A-Amberstorm?" she stammered. Winterheart had pressed against her, his body shivering with confusion. "But… does that mean Copperpaw…?"

"He isn't Amberstorm's true son, and Scatterpaw is not her daughter either," Bristlestar replied hesitantly. "They were the kittens of a rouge queen. Please sit, I must explain everything."

Silverclaw obeyed, and Winterheart followed suit gradually.

"Amberstorm and I met during apprentice training," Bristlestar began forlornly, as though it pained him to remember. "We were testing, with our mentors following us. She and I had both managed to lose our mentors, and she had crossed into our territory… North Forest.

"At first we fought, and she fought very well. I eventually had to surrender. We started to talk, first as enemies, but we finally came to know each other better. We came back to Crossing Rock sometimes to meet, but at Gatherings we stayed away from each other.

"Back then," Bristlestar paused, looking sheepishly at his paws, "I was foolish, and like most toms then, craved power. We all wanted to be on top. I was driven by my passion to work harder, and eventually Lightningstar chose me as his deputy.

"I was thrilled, and so was Amberstorm. And it wasn't long after that she was also appointed deputy, for ForestClan. She was equally thrilled once she knew you and your brother would be born."

"My brother?" Silverclaw asked breathlessly.

"Yes," Bristlestar meowed, "Blazonwing." Silverclaw and Winterheart both started, but settled down to hear the rest of the story. "But over time," Bristlestar continued anxiously, " my quest for leadership blinded me. Flickertail came to me one day with a prophecy he'd foreseen.

"He told me that he told me because it was about me. Flickertail said that I would become leader, but my daughter would cause my downfall." Silverclaw let out a soft whimper. "So when you were born…" He stopped abruptly.

"Go on," Winterheart urged after Silverclaw also fell silent.

"That's why I abandoned you," Bristlestar mewed, shifting himself to look down at her. "I regretted it every day since then."

"I forgive you," Silverclaw purred, nuzzling her father gently. "But what about Copperpaw and Scatterpaw?"

"Yes, yes," Bristlestar muttered. "After you were to be born, she had planned on saying you both had died. While on patrol, though, Amberstorm ran into a rouge cat who had died after her own kitting. Copperpaw and Scatterpaw were alive, mewing so feebly Amberstorm had to help. She suckled them in the forest until you and Blazonwing were born, and I took you with me. She told me about them and then took them back with her. Everyone thought the two kits were hers.

"Then she found you while on patrol the day after her kitting. Needless to say, she was furious at me. But her death was not my fault…" his voice trailed away into a somber mew. "She was killed by the rouges that Copperpaw's mother belonged to when she refused to give him and Scatterpaw back. I never had a chance to apologize to her. She wouldn't have accepted it, anyway."

"I'm sure she would," Silverclaw mewed reassuringly, but Bristlestar shook his head.

"That's why I'm leaving," he said, his distressed voice becoming firm. "Flickertail's prophecy has been fulfilled. I'm leaving, because now that you've forgiven me I have no other reason to stay."

"But fa- Bristlestar!" she stammered, her voice wavering. Winterheart nuzzled her head gently.

"He must choose whatever path he seems fit," Winterheart murmured. "No one can stop us from living how we want, and I think we should wish him luck."

"But, he's my father!" Silverclaw protested. "I've finally found him, and now-"

"Now I must leave," Bristlestar whispered, getting up slowly. "Please don't worry about me, Silverclaw," he said, nuzzling her tenderly. "I'll always love you." And with that he slipped out of the den, bounding down the rocks lightly. The moon caught his back, the white arrow almost glowing. Then he was out of sight.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Many seasons had passed since then. Cragstar gained control of MountainClan, taking Blazonwing as his deputy. Copperpaw and Scatterpaw had become warriors once ForestClan had returned, taking the names Copperstreak and Scatterblaze. "It fits," Winterheart had said after the naming ceremony. "You did run quickly back when you met Featherflight." When ForestClan had returned to their camp, they found it barely damaged. Few repairs were needed.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The glowing sunlight filtered into the queen's den, refracting off of the raindrops hung on the mossy door and shimmering like stars. Autumntip lay, both irritated and amused, with her four kits tumbling over her back.

"Nearly apprentices," Treepelt said warmly as she came in. She nuzzled the little kits as they ran to greet her, mewing happily. She shook them off gently and padded over to the black she-cat lain in the back of the den.

"How are you, Silverclaw?" Treepelt asked, looking down fondly at the three tiny kits curled up against Silverclaw's side.

"Just fine, thank you." Silverclaw responded in a slightly exhausted mew. She leaned over and licked her kits gently on their heads, one black and two gray.

"The proud father arrives at last!" Frostfire announced jokingly, following Winterheart into the queen's den. Winterheart nuzzled Silverclaw lovingly, bending over to look at his newborn kits.

"They're beautiful," he muttered proudly, "just like their mother."

Silverclaw purred. "How are Ivorypaw and Maplepaw?" she asked Frostfire.

"Very good," she replied proudly. "They're going to become warriors very soon, I can tell."

"That's wonderful news," Silverclaw replied. Frostfire nodded and backed out.

Not a day went by that Silverclaw didn't wonder about Bristlestar… or Bristletail now. But she was happier than ever now – she knew who her parents were, she had a loving family. She never had the dream about her in the mist, and the only words of Bristletail's that replayed in her head were the words he'd said when he left: "I'll always love you."

**AN:** The end! Aw, so sweet. Thanks to everyone who commented! First story – complete!


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